Aldi welder

circuit. I can't help thinking that although it may exceed 13A, it only does so for at most a minute at a time, with low duty cycle, so it should work ine in practice. How true or unwise is that?

Deep ends. Try it and see on a low setting - it might cost you a 13A fuse, but be adventurous.

snipped-for-privacy@care2.com submitted this idea :

My welder, not an Aldi one, runs fine on a 13 amp plug. The 13a cartridge is backed up via 16amp MCB and the MCB very rarely trips at switch on, due to initial surge. Once on it runs fine. The DB is next to my welding bench, so handy to reset the MCB.

Is it a 160A welder though?

NT

I can weld at 150A from a 13A plug, but the fuse blows after a while. My mate down the road has two plugs on his welder, and he plugs them both in. Bit dodgy really.

Bill

Thanks Bill, that's about what I need to know.

NT

No it is an old SIP 150amp and most often used at mid range setting.

Comes with a fitted 13 amp plug?

At the place where I worked about 40 years ago they converted the sockets in the workshop from 15A round pin to 13A square pin. A welder, which had worked perfectly happily before, started blowing fuses. So they turned up a 13A-fuse-sized bit of solid brass on the lathe. Simples!

It's probably quite happy on a 16A MCB, provided it's a C curve, not the usual B.

It will also work fine plugged almost anywhere, so long as it's not turned up to its full current.

If you do turn it up to its full current (maybe you're going to build a bridge), you'll find out why modern stick welders are PoS with aluminium windings, and why you should buy an old oil-cooled Oxford at a farm sale instead.

On the whole though, I've got two decent stick welders here and I'm lucky if I use either of them more than once a year. In general its MIG every time.

what wasted effort. 1/4" metal spindle from a potentiometer would have worked instead.

But there's no pride in producing one of those, whereas a shiny item turned in brass is a thing of beauty. :-)

In Australia we just plug em in and they work, sometimes we cheat and put 10 amp plugs on them. we do not have your system of individual fuses and ring mains. all our outlets are wired in 20amp wiring (2.5 sq mm )mostly with 16a fuses or breakers protecting the circuit of outlets. if breakers are used you can have many outlets on a circuit. the 10a and 15a outlets are the same except that the 15a has a larger earth hole which prevents 15a plugs going in 10a sockets and usually have only one socket per circuit. It is possible to have 20amp breakers on the 20a cabled circuit. Even with the 10 amp plug on your welder, in a multi outlet circuit, as long as it is the only thing being used it wont have a problem although you are not supposed to, to stop overloading as you don't know what your wife has plugged in. :)

I have one of those - also runs fine on a plug, but then again I rarely use it on the higher current settings.

(I modified mine by adding a couple of internal fans to get a longer duty cycle out of it)

d up to its full current.

ridge), you'll find out why modern stick welders are PoS with aluminium win= dings, and why you should buy an old oil-cooled Oxford at a farm sale inste= ad.

if I use either of them more than once a year. In general its MIG every ti= me.

I'd much prefer a mig, but can't justify =A3180 on something I'll seldom us= e. Poor duty cycle should be ok for occasional use.

NT

I think if I were buying again, I would go for mig. Given the little welding I do, I would expect even a crap gasless one would do.

on 25/10/2012, Dave Plowman (News) supposed :

Yes, but it was SH and bought with a load of steel angle.

As did I.